


Up At Night

by rootsbeforebranches



Category: NCIS
Genre: Ellick, Established Relationship, F/M, request
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:40:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23161093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rootsbeforebranches/pseuds/rootsbeforebranches
Summary: Nick finds Ellie awake in the middle of the night with something obviously troubling her.
Relationships: Ellie Bishop/Nick Torres
Kudos: 45





	Up At Night

**Author's Note:**

> 7\. ''You always pretend you don't care but I know you do.''  
> 11\. ''Please don't cry.''  
> 12\. ''Is that...my shirt?''
> 
> For the anon on Tumblr who requested it.  
> Not sure if this was what you had in mind, but I hope it's not too far from what you wanted.  
> If it is, then I'm sorry but hope you still enjoy xD
> 
> I'm sorry for any mistakes, English is not my first language.

Drowsily blinking his eyes open, Nick found that it was still night.  
Groaning a little, he rolled over to the middle of the bed, intending to cuddle up with his girlfriend and go back to sleep.

Surprisingly though, he found the other side of the bed empty and cold, meaning Ellie had probably left the confines of their warm and cozy bed a while ago.

Now fully awake, the Latino pulled the sheets back and got up, leaving their bedroom to find Ellie in the kitchen, her back turned towards him as she made herself a cup of what he would guess was hot chocolate.

Walking up to her until he was behind her, he wound his arms around her waist, effectively pulling her against his front, his bare chest touching her back.  
Ellie tensed up only for a few seconds before she relaxed in his embrace, leaning her head back against his shoulder, enjoying the warmth of his body against hers.

''Hey, what are you doing out of bed?'' he softly asked her as he pressed light kisses against her neck.  
She apparently hadn't noticed him before he touched her, which made Nick wonder what had her so deep in thought.

''I couldn't sleep,'' the blonde answered silently, eyes closed as she breathed in his familiar scent.  
He always smelled so nice, except for when he came back from a run or the gym, but even then she usually didn't mind him kissing her.

Her tone was quiet, but something in her voice had Nick immediately worried, knowing there was more behind it than just her not being able to sleep.

Slowly rocking her from side to side in his arms, his chin now propped down on her shoulder, he inquired what was bothering her, though he already had an idea what it was.  
''Hey, babe, what's wrong?''

Ellie sighed, not answering instantly. She wasn't sure if she wanted to voice her worries and burden Nick with them, knowing that he needed to be very concentrated and not distracted for what was to come.

Over her shoulder, Nick looked down at her hands resting on his arms that were still wrapped around her while he patiently waited for her to answer his question.

That's when he noticed that the shirt she was wearing looked oddly familiar, too familiar in fact to be hers.

''Hey, is that...my shirt?''

He felt, rather than saw, Ellie chuckle lightly at that, confirming his suspicions.  
Finally pulling away from her a little as she also turned around to face him, he indeed saw that it was his tight gray shirt she was wearing, the article of clothing loosely hugging her thin frame, only just long enough to reach over her underwear.

''I couldn't help it, it's so comfy and it smells like you,'' Ellie admitted a bit sheepishly, though with a small grin, showing him that she wasn't really guilty about stealing his shirt.  
She hugged her frame to prove her point, snuggling into the too-big shirt as she inhaled its scent.

Nick's eyes roamed over her body once more, taking notice of the fact that she didn't appear to be wearing a bra underneath, the only thing that she wore except for his shirt being her black lace panties.

''It's fine, it looks better on you anyway,'' he replied with a smile before he turned their attention back to the original topic at hand.

Urging her to grab her mug and sit down with him on the couch, he asked her to tell him what was bothering her again.

After another moment of silence, Ellie finally gave in and told him.  
''I don't want you to leave for that undercover case tomorrow...It's too dangerous! Besides, you're not an undercover agent anymore...Why can't someone else do it?'' she said, voicing the last part without much conviction. The blonde was clearly upset over the matter, her brows raised and pulled together and she didn't dare meet his eyes.

''Ellie...'' Nick started but was quickly interrupted by his girlfriend.

''You always pretend you don't care but I know you do. I know you don't actually want to go either, so why do you always agree to do it?'' she vented, tears starting to brim in the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill over and run down her cheeks.

Nick let out a small sigh, understanding her feelings on the matter.  
She was right, he wasn't too happy about leaving her to go undercover again either, but it's what he felt like he had to do.  
He also knew that deep down, she knew why he'd agreed when Vance asked him to go undercover and was just being emotional and upset at the moment.  
This was why Nick pretended to not care that he was being sent undercover once more, why he pretended to be fine with it.  
The Latino didn't want to cause her more concern than she already had.

Pulling his partner to him, taking her into his arms, her face buried in his chest, Nick tried to reason with her as well as calm her down.

''Ellie, you know why I have to do this. It's our job. And I've been undercover several times before, I'm good at this. It'll be fine.'' Nick didn't dare promise that though, he knew that the line of job they'd chosen was often unpredictable, something could always happen, could always go wrong, especially when it comes to undercover cases.

At Nick's explanation, the blonde pulled away from him to be able to look into his dark brown eyes, which were likewise focused on her hazel ones, seeing the fear in them, the worry.

As soon as the tears she had tried to hold in made their way down her cheeks, Nick's heart broke.  
He couldn't stand it when she was sad, couldn't bear to see her cry, especially when he was the reason for it.

''Please don't cry,'' he practically begged her as he placed his hands on her face, wiping away her tears with his thumbs.  
''I'm gonna be careful, Ellie, I promise.'' Because that was the only thing he could promise without a bad conscience. She could see the truth in his eyes, but still, a small sob left her lips at the thought of something happening to him.  
''I'll be fine, I know what I'm doing. I'm gonna be back as soon as possible,'' he tried once again to reassure her, his forehead now lightly pressed against hers.

Both of their eyes now closed, one of Ellie's hands placed over Nick's on her cheek, the other one softly gripping his neck, both breathed in the other's scent to calm down, reveled in the contact of each other's hands on their skin.

Eventually, -the hot chocolate long turned cold- the tears streaming out of Ellie's eyes ceased and she had visually calmed down.

''Come on, let's try to get some more sleep, alright?'' Nick softly suggested, knowing they needed to be fit tomorrow, he especially.  
Ellie nodded, voicing her agreement in a quiet but calm tone of voice.  
''Okay.''

However, instead of moving back into their bedroom and getting back into bed, Nick laid down on the couch, pulled Ellie down with him and placed a blanket over their barely clothed bodies to keep them warm.

The blonde immediately relaxed beside him, one of his arms under her and wrapped around her, gently sliding his fingers over her naked back under her shirt where it had ridden up, the other hand slowly stroking over her hair.

Both of them loved little moments like this, where they were just cuddling together until they fell asleep, him embracing her and her head resting comfortably on his chest, one arm slung over his stomach, their bare legs touching.  
It was moments like these that made it possible for them to forget all of their worries and concerns, to forget all about the world around them even if it was only for a little while.

It was exactly what they both needed at that moment.

**Author's Note:**

> By the way, I just wanted to say that I still accept requests from the prompt list I reblogged on Tumblr, so please feel free to request something, I'd appreciate it and I'll try my best :) xD


End file.
